After all of this information has been sent through the lines of Hooker and the enemy being closely followed, Halleck sent an odd report on the 16th of June.  And as of 16th of June, there are many mixed reports flowing in and out of Washington.  At the time, there had been reports flowing in that the enemy had crossed the Potomac into the north.  On the 15th of June, two days before the information become jumbled; Halleck sends this report to Hooker.  “It is believed that Longstreet and Stuart are crossing the Potomac above and below Harper’s Ferry.  They should certainly be pursued.”[1]  Hooker prepares to move his men against the Potomac and even endeavors to move against Harper’s Ferry upon Halleck’s advice but he is quickly stopped.  On the morning of the 16th, Hooker tells Lincoln that their relationship must be more solidified if they hope to find the enemy and break through the curtain that the Confederate cavalry seemed to have formed.  With certainty of the position of the enemy, he suggests moving towards Harper’s Ferry but knows nothing of their numbers.  Halleck reinforces that idea that the enemy in the vicinity of Harper’s Ferry but does not suggest moving towards the location.  Along with that, he sends the following report.  “I do not think there is reliable information that the enemy has crossed the Potomac in any force.”[2]  Halleck also states the forces of the Army of the Potomac that are near Harper’s Ferry and gives the advice to send relief and that the only relief that can come is from his own army.  Hooker in an air of excitement reports his movements toward Harper’s Ferry.  “In compliance with your directions, I shall march to the relief of Harper’s Ferry.  I put my column again in motion at 3 a.m. tomorrow.  I expect to reach there in two days, and if possible, earlier.”[3]  Hooker informs the President, in a way to reinforce their relationship, that he will be marching on Harper’s Ferry tomorrow in the early morning.  Hooker moves with the hope of cutting off some of the Confederate corps, mainly A.P. Hill’s corps and states that he knows not whether or not the enemy is above the Potomac with the exception of the force at Harper’s Ferry.  Lincoln, however, began to get concerned with Hooker and his movements after confiding with Halleck who told him that he never gave the order for Hooker to move towards that location.  Halleck sends Hooker a report stating that very fact about never ordering him to move to Harper’s Ferry, only that he had advised it.  At this point in the war, they were still trying to ascertain the location of the corps throughout the threat of the Army of Northern Virginia.  With this in mind, Lincoln sends Hooker a damaging report.  “To remove all misunderstanding, I now place you in the strict military relation to General Halleck of a commander of one of the armies to the general-in-chief of all the armies.  I have not intended differently, but as it seems to be differently understood, I shall direct him to give you orders and you to obey them.”[4]  The relationship that Hooker wanted with Lincoln was destroyed and the relationship between Halleck and Hooker changed from toxic to destructive.  It seemed that even though many reports were sent to Hooker supporting movements and positions, as soon as they were acted on they were denied.  Seeing this and becoming concerned, Stanton, the Secretary of War, reached out to Hooker.  “You shall be kept posted upon all information received here as to enemy’s movements, but must exercise you own judgment as to its credibility.  The very demon of lying seems to be about these times, and generals will have to be broken for ignorance before they will take the trouble to find out the truth of reports.”[5]
              Hooker’s own morale was at an all time low and knew that there were motions in Washington to replace him.  He had to make the best of the time that he had.  He never forgot the way in which he found himself in command of the army; he personally told the President certain things about Burnside that he was displeased with.  But Burnside was displeased with him during the Fredericksburg Campaign.  During the end of the year 1862, Burnside created what was called Special Order Number 8 which would terminate eight generals: Brooks, Newton, Cochrane, Franklin, Smith, Sturgis, Ferraro, and Hooker.  Burnside himself even said that he could not “continue to command unless order number 8 met with approval.”[6]  Order number 8 never made its appearance and Burnside was removed only to be replaced by Hooker.  Lincoln himself wrote the report to Hooker placing him in command which solely states why he promoted him to the command of the army.  “…yet I think it best for you to know that there are some things in regard to which I am not quite satisfied with you…You are ambitious, which, within reasonable bounds, does good rather than harm; but I think that during General Burnside’s command of the army, you have taken counsel of your ambition, and thwarted him as much as you could, in which you did a great wrong to the country and to a most meritorious and honorable brother officer…Of course it was not for this, but in spite of it, that I have given you command.”[7]  It is a very Machiavellian thing to use counsel with one another to bring another down and now, it seems that the same is happening to Hooker.  Now that Hooker was being placed on a tight leash with Halleck, and Lincoln out of the picture, there were motions of some in the high command that were ready to remove him.
              Hooker began to analyze the area above the Potomac for places that Lee may attack; he began looking for any town that had military significance.  However, Halleck sends a report of information from Pleasonton that Hooker may not know.   “I can get no information of the enemy other than that sent to you.  Rumors from Pennsylvania are too confused and contradictory to be relied on.  Officers and citizens are on a big stampede.”[8]  He then goes on to explain that General Schenck is reliable for this type of information.  That report was sent on the 18th of June.  The reports following all the way to the resignation of Hooker is nothing but a confused mess of reports concerning Schenck and no information concerning the enemy.  If Hooker had been allowed to move about as he pleased, he may have found movements of the enemy but the closest he gets is when he moves his headquarters to Frederick, Maryland.  But there was one report stating a possible location of Longstreet’s men.  “Pleasonton reports Stuart’s force in front of him, beyond Middleburg.  He will attack him with all his available command early tomorrow.  Their cavalry have mounted infantry with them.  Infantry soldiers captured report to Pleasonton that Longstreet’s rear passed through the Blue Ridge yesterday.”[9]  According to the period maps, the Blue Ridge Mountains end in Maryland with the edge of South Mountain deep into the Maryland border.  The motion of moving through the Blue Ridge would push the men across the Potomac.  The report of Longstreet’s men moving through the Blue Ridge came on the 20th of June and two days later, General Pleasonton sends reports to Hooker about encountering the enemy near Upperville which was approximately twenty miles to the border of Maryland.  On the 24th of June, Hooker sends a message to Halleck about the enemy and his movements.  “Ewell, I conclude, is over the river, and is now up in the country…I shall send over a corps or two from here, in order , if possible, to sever Ewell from the balance of the rebel army, in case he should make a protracted sojourn with his Pennsylvania neighbors.”[10]
              It was at this time that Hooker began to meet with the corps commanders and his Chief-of-Staff, Daniel Butterfield as they looked over maps at possible places for an attack.  Hooker had a feeling that the target city of the Army of Northern Virginia would be either Hagerstown or Harrisburg but found himself straying his finger towards a small town just above the border.  Butterfield remembered later that “Hooker pointed  to the vicinity of the town of Gettysburg on a map of Pennsylvania and saying ‘we will fight the battle here.’  Hooker spoke of cutting behind Lee’s army in Pennsylvania and severing his communications.  ‘For this reason, I felt that it was for me to say when and where I should fight Lee.  I felt that I could choose my position and compel him to attack me.’”[11]  But with so much restriction on him, it was difficult to prove where the enemy was and due to the enemy’s cavalry, created a cloud that was more dense than any other.  With most of his army concentrated around Westminster, Hanover, and Manchester, Hooker found himself moving towards Harper’s Ferry in a motion to draw the enemy towards him.  “I have received you telegram in regard to Harper’s Ferry.  I find 10,000 men here, in condition to take the field…No enemy will ever take possession of them…Now they are but a bait for the rebels, should they return.”[12]  Later on that day, he filled out his letter of resignation to Halleck who most likely received it with the warmest of hearts.
              Though Halleck received it with a great amount of happiness, there was only a few things that Halleck could say in return.  “You application to be relieved from your present command is received.  As you were appointed to this command by the President, I have no power to relieve you.  Your dispatch has been duly referred for Executive action.”[13]  And as though they had planned it, a message was written to General Meade giving him command of the army.  When Hooker hands in his resignation, there is no remorse as when Lee attempted to resign.  Jefferson Davis rejected the resignation and showed some compassion when keeping Lee.  When Hooker resigns, it is as if Washington breathes a sigh of relief.  Hooker brought a lot of drama to the scene of the high command, but was it necessary to hold him from movement around northern Virginia and Maryland in order to find out about the enemy’s movements?  In the second paragraph of promotion of General Meade, Halleck states that he will not micromanage like he had to do with Hooker.  “You will not be hampered by any minute instructions from these headquarters.  Your army is free to act as you may deem proper under the circumstances as they arise.”[14]  One has to wonder whether or not there were political hindrances on the motions between Halleck and Hooker and many felt that it was dangerous move accepting the resignation so close to an oncoming battle.  Though Halleck states that Hooker’s resignation has to go before the president, he makes no waste of time replacing him.  The report was written of the 27th of June promoting Meade to command of the army but it did not reach him until 3 a.m. on the 28th.  As any general would be angry to awaken at that ungodly hour, this news most likely brought him down even more.  Meade was a general who found himself both physically present at Gettysburg and physically non-present at the battle.  After the campaign is over, Lincoln shows his disappointment with Meade and a council of war is created against him.  Many supporters of Hooker approached the council and all stated that a change in command was dangerous for the men in such short of a time. 
              If Hooker had been allowed to move against Lee when he first had the idea that the enemy was in the north, Gettysburg may have been garrisoned as Hooker had pointed out.  Had he been sure of the movements, Halleck may have backed him up; but Hooker’s fame for intelligence and spy networking began to fail him as his head floated up in the high command.  As stated before, Halleck and Hooker were dangerous together; to a point that made Lincoln take the back seat to their arguments.  We, as historians, can always think about what would have happened if Hooker made his way into Pennsylvania before Lee reached there.  Upon reading all of the reports between Hooker, Halleck and Lincoln, the press was very much involved in the presence of the army which Lee would have seen sooner or later.  Had Hooker placed himself in a garrison at Gettysburg, Lee would have known, he would have adapted and the Union would have been attacked on another level.  Harrisburg may have been an easier target had Hooker placed himself in one spot and had Halleck not been in his position, Hooker’s freedom may have been larger.  But since Hooker’s promotion was done with cautious approval, he was on a tight leash from day one.  As Burnside was a obedient Golden Retriever who followed everything that Lincoln and the high command wanted, Hooker was an American Bulldog; slow to move and quick to anger, but place it on a leash and it will become obedient.
[1] Ibid, Pg. 42.
[2] Ibid.  Pg. 45.
[3] Ibid.  Pg. 46.
[4] Ibid.  Pg. 47.
[5] Ibid.  Pg. 48.
[6] Marvel, William.  “Burnside.”  Pg. 15.
[7] Lincoln, Abraham. “The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 6”  Pg. 78-79.
[8] Official Records of the War of the Rebellion Union and Confederate Armies.  Series I. Volume 27, Part 1.  Pg. 50-51.
[9] Ibid.  Pg. 53. 
[10] Ibid.  Pg. 55-56.
[11] Sears, Stephen W.  “Gettysburg.”  Pg. 93.
[12] Official Records of the War of the Rebellion Union and Confederate Armies.  Series I.  Volume 27 Part 1.  Pg. 60.
[13] Ibid.  Pg. 60.
[14] Ibid.  Pg. 61.

On June 5th, 1863, there was a grand review of the forces for the ladies and gentlemen of the Confederacy.  “The review occurred late in the afternoon, and as a grand finale, the units charged past the people assembled on and around the knoll with a final salute.  The horsemen moved from west to east, with the spectators facing north.”[1]  Stuart had organized this review of over ten-thousand cavalry men and even invited some infantry men into the occasion and Stuart, himself, was atop the hill with the people and looked as fine as ever.  “He was superbly mounted and his side arms gleamed in the morning sun like burnished silver.  A long black ostrich plume waved gracefully from a black slouch hat cocked up on one side, held with a golden clasp.”[2]  But upon the review of his cavalry, the one person that he wanted to be there was missing: General Lee.  He was later informed at one of the balls he attended that Lee would be present at a proper review a few days later.  At this proper military review, Lee was greatly pleased with what he saw.  He would later write to his wife about what he saw on that day.  “I reviewed the cavalry in this section…It was a splendid sight.  The men and horses looked well.  They have recuperated since last fall.  Stuart was in all his glory.”[3]  Stuart in his glory was dressed as he was before but his horse wore a wreath of flowers which was a gift from the previous review.  Lee chuckled at the look of it and gave a warning.  “Take care, General, that is the way General Pope’s horse was adorned when he went to the Battle of Second Manassas.”[4]  During this entire endeavor, Generals Pleasonton and Buford were watching from Beverly’s Ford planning their attack which would come a few days later.
              The main area of contention of the Battle of Brandy Station was Fleetwood Hill where Stuart was placed during the reviews.  Pleasonton later felt that their presence was known and actions anticipated due to the splashing of Buford’s men around 4:00 a.m. and fearing that they would be pushed back because of heavy losses sent a message to Hooker.  “12:30 p.m.(received 3:20 p.m.) General Gregg has joined me, and I will not attack the enemy vigorously with my whole force…I would be well to send a good force of the Fifth corps toward Brandy Station, if it can be spared.”[5]  This battle is considered the largest cavalry battle during the whole war and through a day of fighting, Stuart pulled back and cancelled any raid that he planned to make.  “We captured Stuart’s camp, with his orders, letters, &c.  He was to move to Maryland with 12,000 cavalry and twenty-five guns, and he was camped at the ford we crossed…The enemy lost very heavily.”[6]  And from this point forward, the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac would not be underestimated. 
              Upon reports to Washington about the attack at Brandy Station, most of the praise went to Pleasonton but all that was shown was a lack of interest from Halleck.  And upon sending an uproarious report praising the cavalry, it seemed as though both Lincoln and Halleck seemed to ignore the engagement.  “I dispatched General Pleasonton to attack him on his own ground…This, in the face of vastly superior numbers, was only accomplished by hard and desperate fighting by our cavalry, for which they deserve much credit.  Their morale is splendid.  They made many hand-to-hand combats, always driving the enemy before them.”[7]  The reports sent back to him later on in the day not only ignored what was sent earlier that day, but accosted Hooker for not moving fast enough against an enemy that has crossed the Rappahannock River.  Small bits of information started to pour in on the enemy found in small forces all around the north of Virginia especially Winchester.  A correspondence from Lincoln questioned whether or not Hooker’s reconnaissance found anything in or around the vicinity of that city.  “Do you consider it possible that 15,000 of Ewell’s men can now be at Winchester?”[8]  Hooker’s reaction to the many reports coming in about enemy movement was as professional as he could be.  Researching them himself he discovered something that the President and his staff may not have considered.  “Hooker pointed out to Lincoln that his information service was not equipped to cover country as far afield as that where the enemy was operating.”[9]  Hooker was attaining information as best as he could at the time, especially for the man who had created such a great system of internal information during the war.  Through a strict communication between his own corps and division commanders, he found many positions of the Confederate army and the movements they were making.  “Major General Hancock reports that the rebel forces about Fredericksburg have moved in the direction of Culpepper this morning.”[10]  He also, in the most professional sense, keeps the high command informed about his own movements and in that same report also states where the moving parts of the army had gone to.  At Fairfax Station, Hooker will follow the movements of the enemy closely along with corresponding with information that the high command receives.  Every day, he reports his movements and information to the President and sometimes General Halleck as he would be expected to do.  However, the lack of reports to the General-in-Chief only fueled some of the anger between the two as Hooker only reports to Lincoln.

[1] Kunstler, Mort.  “The Civil War Paintings of Mort Kunstler Volume II: Fredericksburg to Gettysburg.”  Pg. 215.
[2] Burke, Davis.  “JEB Stuart, The Last Cavalier.” Pg. 304.
[3] Ibid, Pg. 305.
[4] Ibid, Pg. 305.
[5] Official Records of the War of the Rebellion Union and Confederate Armies Series I, Volume 27, Part 1. Pg. 903.
[6] Ibid, Pg. 904.
[7] Ibid.  Pg. 36.
[8][8] Ibd, Pg. 38.
[9] Fischel, Edwin C. “The Secret War for the Union: The Untold Story of Military Intelligence in the Civil War.” Pg. 456.
[10] Official Records of the War of the Rebellion Union and Confederate Armies Series I, Volume 27, Part 1.  Pg. 41

Part 1

            Joseph Hooker, commander of the Army of the Potomac in June of 1863, sat at his desk under a damp tent scrawling out his resignation to the General-in-Chief.  He pondered his administration’s achievements and failures and came to a realization that one greatly outweighed the other.  His work with spy networking supplied the capitol with more information than any other commander; the network worked with a very low capture rate.  He had re-organized the cavalry into their own corps and used them to his advantage in reconnaissance while using some of the cavalry in the spy network.  And he had also spent a great amount of time training the troops in drills that they were unfamiliar in, especially in the display of the Battle of Fredericksburg.  But as he saw there thinking of all the good, the failure weighed upon his head: Chancellorsville.  Henry Halleck was not a forgiving man, and neither would you want that in a leader organizing a whole army, but he had been harassing Hooker long enough that it pushed him to resignation.  As he signed his letter, he seemed bothered by Lincoln’s inaction between the two allowing Hooker and Halleck to butt each other’s heads off like dogs on this damp day.  Hooker’s aide approached the tent, saluted the general, and handed him a message.  With a heavy heart, fearing a harassing message from the high command, he opened it to find a report from General Buford and his position in Pennsylvania.  Hoping to end his tenure as commander on a high note, he added the information provided to him in his resignation, folded it and gave it to his aide.  Along with the note were strict orders to forward it to the war department immediately.  All he had to do now was wait for his replacement and hope Buford would find something in Pennsylvania.

            Ever since the engagement at Brandy Station in Culpepper County, Virginia, Hooker was absolute in his assumption that General Lee was making his way toward the north.  “Prisoners and deserters brought in here state that Stuart is preparing a column of from 15,000 to 20,000 men, cavalry and artillery, for a raid.  They say it will be ready in two or three days.”[1]  Upon hearing this news, the high command especially the President, was both excited and wary of the news.  “…in case you find Lee coming to the north of the Rappahannock, I would by no means cross to the south of it…If Lee would come to my side of the river, I would keep on the same side…But these are mere suggestions, which I desire to be controlled by the judgment of yourself and General Halleck.”[2]  Halleck, in agreement with Lincoln, writes to Hooker stating more in depth matters of defense of Washington and Harper’s Ferry.  There was a concern that Lee would be moving towards Pennsylvania and Maryland, but it was nothing compared to the concern of Washington’s defense.  “Neither this capital nor Harper’s Ferry could long hold on against a large force…Lee will probably move light and rapidly.  You movable force should be prepared to do the same.”[3]  As these reports flowed in and out of the war department, there was very little worry that the Confederates would find their way into Pennsylvania.  As Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia found their way into Maryland the previous year and failed, the worry was very thin.  The raid near Culpepper country was coming soon and Hooker used his cavalry as a reconnaissance to ascertain the reason for the raid.  What they found was nothing more than a review of J.E.B. Stuart’s corps.

[1] Hooker, Joseph.  “Official Records of the War of the Rebellion Union and Confederate Armies.  Series I, Volume 27, Part 1.  Pg. 31.
[2] Ibid, Pg. 31.
[3] Ibid, Pg. 32.